


unfair; haikyuu zombie au

by biitch



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Depression, F/F, F/M, Im so sorry if your fav dies, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Inspired by The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game), M/M, Murder, all the relationship tags are just minor ships that are hinted at throughout the book, emotionally prepare yourself, idk why i have an obsession with zombie au’s, its a zombie apocalypse, not all characters in the tags will appear in the book, romance isn’t the point so don’t expect a 100k slow burn for each ship, there is no getting out unharmed bruh, they’re just mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23442763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biitch/pseuds/biitch
Summary: after the dead began to walk, hinata shōyō was left alone in this new world with the weight of his baby sister’s life on his shoulders. he was ill-prepared and naive, and everyday, he grew more and more fearful of what might happen to his sister if he didn’t get a grip on himself.he was her older brother, after all, and he would do anything to protect her.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 62





	1. preview

he had heard the rumors; heard the chatter going around about a virus that was quickly spreading throughout the continents. he had seen the concerned expressions of his classmates, had caught of glimpse of the news report in the morning before school, had even briefly listened to his chemistry teacher discuss it.

but he wasn’t scared, because whatever it was, would be taken care of before it got out of hand, right? his main priority should be solely about prepping himself both mentally and physically to go to nationals. the police, government, scientists— _whoever_ —was surely capable of taking care of this virus on their own.

the first time he heard of a case in japan, he was walking to the volleyball gym. his ears had picked up on a few students talking about it, but he forced himself to ignore their conversation. he couldn’t stop to chat, he had volleyball practice to get to.

that was the day everything started going to hell. who knew one case would lead to forty in a matter of eight hours? forty turned into one hundred thirteen, which turned to seven hundred, to three thousand, to ten thousand, to a _global pandemic_.

schools, restaurants, parks, everything was shut down, and people were instructed to remain indoors for their own personal safety while they tried to get the virus under control. except they didn’t.

but the people couldn’t stay indoors for much longer, they had bills to pay, jobs to keep, and so those who worked were further exposed to the virus. it only took a couple days for thousands upon thousands of more lives to be lost after the week of quarantine was up.

the news showed it; reports of those who died coming back to life in a matter of minutes, but hinata merely changed the channel. reports explained the symptoms of the infected, yet hinata would simply leave to go toss his volleyball in his room for a few minutes. he would’ve been foolish not to have noticed his mother’s cough over the last day or two, he just didn’t think much of it. his mom always got allergies, so what was the big deal?

it took approximately twelve hours for his mother to die; peacefully he hoped. except he’d never know, because he was sleeping soundlessly in his room when it happened. but maybe he would’ve gotten a chance to say goodbye if he had properly acknowledged the signs sooner.


	2. down goes the parent

hinata shoyo had woken up in the early morning, a bit earlier than he usually woke up, to sounds coming from the living room. with a yawn, he stood up from his bed and left his room to investigate, and most likely reprimand his sister for being up at this hour. 

_maybe_ he wouldn’t reprimand her though. after all, with this quarantine, one’s schedule couldn’t help but get a little messed up. _maybe_ he’d sit and eat breakfast with her for the first time in what? three weeks? it wasn’t like he didn’t want to, they just...woke up at different times. hinata’s mom had stopped trying to get her kids to follow a schedule after the first week of quarantine due to having to return to work. so yeah, why not eat breakfast with natsu?

when hinata turned the corner, he expected to see his sister—maybe she was already eating, or maybe she was feeding her hamster—but instead, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of his mother. 

she stood hunched in front of the hamster’s cage, the little sunlight that peered in through their curtain giving hinata a semi-clear view of his mother’s state. her back may have been facing him, but it didn’t take much for him to notice the sickly pale tone of her skin.

he desperately wanted to speak up, wanted to ask what she was doing, and why she was acting so strange. but his gut instinct told him to shut up, stay still, and just _watch_. it was frightening to learn that in a moment of fear, hinata’s body chose to freeze up instead of running away or fighting back.

low growls emitted from her between the sticky sound of chewing, and from her body language, hinata made the assumption that she had gotten her hands on natsu’s hamster. hinata mentally cursed at whatever celestial body was in charge of all this; whatever brought down this disease on them, whatever deemed it necessary to end the lives of millions, whatever decided that his mom should be infected...

frozen in fear, hinata stared at his mother’s back for what seemed like hours, eyes widening when the woman lifted her head at the sound of a floorboard creaking. she had turned her head just enough for hinata to see the blood around her mouth and hands, which dripped down her chin and arms, and onto the front of her pale pink night gown.

hinata’s blood pressure spiked as his mind told him to check on natsu—to make sure she was still.... _here_. but he was too scared to risk moving when his mother was looking directly at him. her dark eyes held a grey, lifeless filter over them, and the bright red tint of blood that covered her face was a stark contrast to the paleness of her skin. she simply stared at hinata, or rather, through him. 

hinata’s eyes watered, lip quivering as he stared at his mother’s face in horrid shock. there was no denying it this time, or shrugging off the importance of news. this virus had taken his mom, had taken her life in her own _home_ , with her two children just rooms away. she had the same short, sweet brown hair, and the same cheesy mother’s day necklace that nastu had crafted just a year prior, yet it wasn’t _her_. his mom was gone, and he hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell her how much he loved her.

after a couple more seconds passed in deafening silence, the woman returned her attention to chewing on the hamster, turning her back to hinata once more. hinata took this as his chance to check on natsu. 

carefully retreating from the living area, hinata quickly went to his sisters room. but when his hand touched the door, he froze yet again, this time, in fear of what was on the other side. what if his mother had already gotten to natsu? he didn’t know if he was ready to see his baby sister in the same state as his mom, or _worse_. even if he called her annoying and constantly yelled for her to leave him alone, he wouldn’t know what to do if natsu had had the same fate as that hamster, while he slept soundlessly in the next room.

cautiously opening the door, hinata almost cried out when he saw his sister sitting in the corner of her room, her back to the wall as she stared up at him with fearful eyes.

closing the door and locking it, hinata let himself sigh in relief as he whispered. ”natsu, you’re _okay_.”

based on the look on her face, hinata figured she had already seen what their mother was doing in the living room. natsu’s lip trembled, standing up and running over to her older brother to throw her arms around him. “m-mommy’s gone, sh-shoyo.” she cried softy as she trembled. 

hinata pursed his lips, and he thought it best not to reply. mostly because he didn’t want to admit that to himself, quite yet. “we have to get out of here and get help, okay? so you have to change into something more protective.”

natsu was quick to listen to her big brother, changing out of her pijamas and into some jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and a jacket. when she was ready, she gave hinata a nod, to which he quietly opened the door, and lead the both of them to his room, where he quickly changed as well. 

emptying out his volleyball bag, hinata slung it over his shoulder and gave natsu a firm nod before opening the door. his stomach dropped at the sight of his mother standing there, who instinctively shot forward at the sudden noise. hinata was quick to move out of the way, but natsu’s scream had lead their mother right towards her. natsu backed up into the corner of hinata’s room, crouching down and she covered her head and cried out pleas in fear.

she had seen enough movies with shoyo to know that whatever was going to happen to her, was going to hurt. _a lot_. 

but before she could lay her hands on natsu, the dead woman was shoved to the side, stumbling over her own feet and falling down while hinata scooped his sister up and ran out of the room with her in his arms. closing the door to his bedroom, hinata rushed to the kitchen, where he set natsu down and began throwing anything edible in his dufflebag. because there was absolutely no way they could stay here, not with... _her_ here. 

hinata couldn't bring himself to harm his own mother, not if he had a choice, anyways. glancing at the kitchen knives, hinata bit his lips and grabbed the one that seemed the sturdiest. he had no idea if he could bring himself to use it when the time came, but it was better than nothing. opening and closing cabinets, hinata dug through everything in them with trembling hands. opening the first aid kit, hinata carelessly tossed all its contents inside his bag. 

“where are we going?”

that was a good question. it was easy to pack things up and claim you’re going somewhere safer, but where exactly _is_ safer? hinata knew his mother wasn’t the only victim, he knew because he had seen all the signs, he was just stupid enough to ignore them. and if the same had been happening throughout his prefecture, that meant that the police wouldn’t be much help to them. they were most likely more concerned with trying to control the situation. crowded areas were a no-go. one wrong move and panic would surely ensue, which both he and natsu easily could get lost in.

only one safe place came to mind, and so he set his mind on getting there. “we’re going somewhere to hide while we wait to see how the officials handle this.” hinata replied, scanning for anything else remotely useful. he racked his brain for information, thinking impossibly hard about what else they could possibly need. 

jesus, how many zombie flicks had he seen? more than like, eleven probably, and yet any and all usable knowledge had completely left his brain. 

“can i help?” natsu asked quietly, taking notice of how frustrated hinata looked.

hinata bit his lip, “is your backpack in your room?”, natsu nodded. “okay, we’re gonna go get it, and then you’re gonna carry more things that can help us. we’re gonna get out of here.”


	3. temporary confinement

the only way of transportation they had was hinata’s bike. their mom didn’t own a car, and even if she did, hinata didn’t know how to drive. so his bike was their only option besides leaving on foot. 

the bike trip was frightening to say the least; he saw the bodies on lawns, or sprawled on the steps to their home. policemen were rushing through the streets, shooting real guns at anything that screamed threatening. he heard the screams muffled by the walls of once-safe homes. luckily, nothing had threatened them specifically, not at the speed hinata was going on that dammed bike, but he’d seen people get tackled down and brutally torn apart in the middle of the streets. he had told natsu not to look, and felt her bury her face into his back. 

he had peddled as fast as his legs would let him, avoiding any and all paths that looked like it would bring them unnecessary trouble. and they get there eventually, though their safety was put more at risk standing out in the open, even if it was only for a minute or two.

he heard the first snarl as he helped natsu off his bike, snapping his head in the direction of the noise to see a man, clad in a uniform that would shouted professionalism, had it not been for the giant tear on his shoulder that oozed thick, crimson blood. he recognized them as a member of karasuno’s administration, but he couldn't bother putting a name with a face. 

picking up natsu, hinata scurried up the stairs, turning the corner and running forward until he reached the right door. shoving his hand in his pocket to get a hold of the keys, he mentally thanked himself for asking if he could borrow the keys right before all this had gotten bad.

holy shit, _kageyama_. was he okay? was he safe? had he already been infec— hinata forced himself to get the setter out of his head, pushing the key into the lock and quickly twisting it open, leaving no time to risk finding out if those things even knew how to go up stairs. 

setting natsu down and letting his duffle bag slip off his shoulder, hinata worked on moving one of the shelves in front of the door, using a dirty old shirt to cover the window. hinata stepped back and swallowed nervously, turning around to look at his sister.

natsu stared up at him, a sad look on her face as she fiddled with her small fingers. “are we gonna be safe in here?”

“for now,” it wasn’t entirely a lie. right now, this was, indeed, the safest place he could think of. tomorrow, that could easily change. though he hoped that wouldn’t be the case. “don’t worry, this is just temporary.”

hinata sat down, his legs crossed under him as he unzipped his bag. natsu sat down in front of him, and when he offered her a granola bar, she shook her head, instead crawling over to hinata and laying her head on his lap.

hinata had never been particularly close with his sister, something he used to shrug off as being caused by the age difference. of course, he messed around with her and properly teased her—as all good older brothers should—but he wished it hadn’t come down to the world going to shit for them to have a moment like _this_. 

his mom would’ve lost her mind at the sight, would’ve taken a million pictures that she’d send to his grandparents before taking a million more. and after, she’d probably express the fondness she felt for her son, because that was the kind of woman she was; kind, loving, empathetic. she had always loved it when hinata had taken a break from that “stupid ball” to spend time with his sister. 

his eyes watered as he opened the granola bar packaging, taking a small bite because even though his stomach was pleading for food, it was also desperately denying it in fear of throwing it up. it was a conflicting feeling, one that made his head hurt. a tear slipped down his cheek at the thought of her being gone. he shoved down his feelings; he couldn’t cry, not right now.

he let himself forget his mother for a second to look around the volleyball club room. he didn’t really know why he chose this place specifically, but it just made sense in the moment. it was a saturday morning in the middle of a pandemic, it wasn’t like the school was going to be overcrowded with blood-thirsty students. and for the time being, his choice was right, because natsu had very quickly fallen asleep on his lap, unharmed—physically, at least—and alive. that’s what mattered most.

from then on, hinata and natsu’s schedule consisted of waking up, eating, talking—which surprisingly killed a lot of time— exercise, eating, and going back to sleep. he asked natsu questions about anything and everything, so she could distract herself with memories of the _good_ things in her life. he’d listen to everything she’d have to say and then some, and at times they’d have to hold in their laughter at a particularly funny story. the bonding experience was nice.

their exercise consisted of just the basic things; stretching before moving onto pushups, squats, jumping jacks, arm circles. just a few things that got their heart pumping. he knew his sister was like him in the sense that they both couldn’t stand staying still for too long. he knew very well how being in his cramped room stressed her out, and it stressed him out too. which is why he was trying his best to make this better for the both of them.

their meals consisted of water and shitty protein bars or dry cereal, which always proved unsatisfying. but hinata thought it was smarter to ration what they had so it would last longer. and he knew his math teacher would be proud of him for even knowing what it meant to ration without having to connect the equation with volleyball. 

they did this for five days, the only way of telling time being through the light that poked through the towel that covered up the window. as for the outside, they hadn’t attempted going out there, not that they really wanted to. because as much as the both of them despised this makeshift quarantine, it was better than trying to fight for their lives out there. 

for five days, they followed this schedule, this routine, in hopes of some sort of rescue. the first and second day, they had heard gun shots, bombs in the distance, the muffled sound of helicopters.

but then, the third day came and there was nothing. and hinata had a sick feeling that nobody was rescue them.

up until the sixth day; when the hinata siblings woke up to the sounds of someone trying to force themselves into karasuno’s volleyball club room. 


	4. light in the dark

hinata scrambled up to his feet, reaching over to grab the kitchen knife with his unsteady hands. natsu stood behind him, clutching hinata’s shirt as they both stared at the door in anticipation. the door knob twisted repeatedly, and the pounding made it seem like the whole room was shaking; the clear attempt of someone trying to break being enough to give hinata goosebumps.

“if i don’t stop them, they might break the door down.” hinata mumbled, “i have to go out there.”

” _no_ , please don’t—“

”i’m gonna be okay, natsu.” hinata swallowed nervously, turning around and kneeling down to get eye to eye with his sister. “but if things go bad, when i tell you to run, you _run_ , as fast as you can and as far as you can. and you don’t stop until you’ve found a good place to hide, got it? and i’ll...i’ll find you.”

” _please_ don’t go, shoyo.” natsu pleaded softly, a tear slipping down her cheek.

”i have to, natsu.”

standing up, hinata moved the shelf out of the way, not bothering to remove the towel from the window because he knew that seeing the creature would only freak him out. it sounded much easier for to just face the problem as it came. 

from what he could hear, there was only one thing trying to get inside. and considering they were at a school, the infected had to be someone around his age. he could definitely handle someone his age...right?

unlocking the door and throwing it open, hinata tightly gripped the knife as he prepared for the attacker. his wide, brown eyes met shocked blue ones, and the knife fell out of hinata’s hand at the sight of him.

”hinata,” kageyama said breathlessly, looking at hinata as if he’d just scored karasuno the winning point. 

hinata stared at kageyama tobio in disbelief, because _holy fuck he was alive_ , and he was _here_ , and hinata had been internally fearing he’d never see any of his friends again.

kageyama looked bad; not physically—although, the blood and dirt stains on his clothes and face said otherwise—but the way he carried himself. the look on his face was off, as if he’d seen and done too much for a mere first year in the last couple of days. which the again, hinata wouldn’t be surprised to hear. 

shoyo found himself throwing his arms around kageyama and pulling him in for the tightest hug he could muster, something he realized he had never done before. had the circumstances been normal, kageyama would’ve probably shoved hinata off of him and called him dumbass, all while his face flushed an awkward shade of pink.

but things _weren’t_ normal.

a virus was spreading, the dead was walking, people were eating people, for fuck’s sake! surely, hugging kageyama tobio wouldn’t be the end of the world. because in that very moment, kageyama was a like a spark of light in the dark, something that hinata never thought he’d ever find himself thinking of said setter. but he knew he’d never find the right words to explain how incredibly happy he felt about seeing a familiar face.

surprisingly enough, arms hugged him back, and hinata let himself cry on kageyama, reveling in the positive memories that came with the presence of his first partner, someone who had changed his volleyball experience for the better. _fuck_ , he wished things could just go back to normal, when their only issue was hinata still not being able to always properly execute a receive. 

natsu hinata watched as her brother fell apart in the arms of the black-haired stranger. and it hurt. because shoyo never really cried. sure, he shed a few tears during an emotional movie, or when he got really frustrated or angry, she even saw the tears on his face after the loss of their mother, but she had never seen him look so utterly...devastated. as if everything that had been going on had finally clicked into place, and the severity of it all had just dawned upon him.

she knew that he’d been doing his best to prioritize her feelings over his own. he always did his best trying to comfort her over their time in this room, because she found that she was always crying. but now that the tables had turned, the seven year old girl realized just how much she hated seeing her big brother cry. 

the stranger’s eyes fell on natsu, and then on their duffel bag, and then on the empty wrappers and water bottles that littered the floor. a wave of brief surprise washed over his features, “you didn’t tell me you had a sister.”

hinata sniffled quietly, “you never asked, smart ass.”

a small smile came upon the black-haired boy’s features, but it left almost as soon as it came. “how long have you two been in here?” 

hinata shrugged as he finally tore himself from kageyama’s arms. “a week, more or less?”

”why didn’t you stay home?”

hinata wipes his face with his hand as he bent down to pick the kitchen knife up off the floor. “our mom got sick.”

hinata didn’t have to elaborate much on that, kageyama sensed the implication behind it and knew it was better not to pry any further.

”i-i’m sorry for your loss,” kageyama muttered, hinata’s response being another mere shrug.

“i’m sorry i got your shirt wet,”

the setter looked down at his shirt to indeed see a wet splotch on his shoulder, “it’s fine.” the taller boy looked back up at hinata, “i didn’t come alone.”

hinata‘s eyes widened at that, “who’s with you?”

”sugawara, nishinoya, tanaka and saeko.” kageyama said, “they’re in the gym.”

at the names of some of his fellow teammates, hinata’s heart soared. “they’re here?”

”yes,” kageyama nodded, “i offered to check the club room for any type of supplies. saeto’s injured.” 

“i have first aid stuff, in my bag.” hinata quickly said, “i don’t know how to use it, but—“

”yes, that’s good.” kageyama interrupted, walking into the club room to pick up the duffle bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder. “and good job, hinata. leaving your house and bringing her here. that took a lot of courage.”

hinata was left speechless at kageyama’s praise, and he swore he would’ve started crying again if he wasn’t already embarrassed enough for crying all over kageyama’s just a minute ago. 

“go on ahead,” kageyama encouraged, already knowing what was in hinata’s mind. “we’ll be right behind you.”

as much as hinata hated the thought of leaving natsu’s side, this was only for a bit. not to mention, she had kageyama tobio with her, one of the people hinata trusted the most. looking down at his sister, he gave her a _real_ , wide smile before sprinting out of the club room. 

kageyama knelt down to meet the small ginger’s eye level. she looked just like hinata; big amber eyes, bright, orange hair, and freckles on her nose. it was endearing in a way, to see a smaller version of the boy who had grown to become one of his closest friends. “i’m kageyama tobio”

”hinata natsu,” the girl said quietly, although she held eye contact with the setter. the intimidation in her eyes was evident, and kageyama figured that if it wasn’t because of his naturally stoic face, it was properly due to the dried blood that stained it. however, the girl stood tall, “you’re friends with shoyo?”

”yes,” kageyama answered simply. “we played volleyball together.” 

“thanks,” natsu said, finally breaking eye contact, but only to grab her backpack. “for coming. shoyo was sad. but he looks better now.”

kageyama held a hand out, “here, let me carry that for you.”

hinata, meanwhile, sprinted straight for the gym, taking note of the infected that lied motionless on the floor. had his teammates fought them? had they gotten their hands on some proper weapons? hinata’s stomach bubbled with anticipation.

shoving the door open to the gym, hinata’s entrance grabbed the attention of four others, and at the sight of them, hinata shoyo’s erupted into a face of pure joy.


	5. gym huddles & plan making

“hinata!” sugawara koushi was the first to react, running to the gym’s entrance to squeeze the ginger into the tightest embrace he could possibly manage.

sugawara had dirt and grim on his face, as did the others, and the bandage on his hand was more than a little concerning, but the joy in his voice at the sight of hinata was the same as it usually was. sugawara pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on hinata’s cheeks, inspecting his face. “you’re okay! you _are_ okay, right? you’re not hurt or anything?”

hinata shook his head, and when sugawara pulled him into another hug, hinata happily accepted it. when sugawara pulled away again, he was only replaced by nishinoya, who slapped a hand on hinata’s shoulder. “glad to know you’re okay, shoyo!”

”hinata, you’re alive!” tanaka exclaimed, yet he made no effort to physically greet the ginger, and instead remained by his sister’s side. “and in one peace! i’m proud!” despite the lingering tension around the joke, hinata appreciated it, because god knows how much he wanted this. how much he wanted to see them.

“nice seeing you again, dork.” saeto said, forcing a smile. and hinata had to put aside the observation that she didn’t look well. her skin looked pale and sweaty, her eyes sunken in, and the bloody wound on her thigh was leaving a growing puddle underneath her. 

“kageyama’s with us, have you seen him yet?”

”he’s the one who found us locked up in the club room.” 

“who’s’us’?” nishinoya asked, tone hopeful. “is another team member with you?”

kageyama walked in at that moment, carrying two bags, and beside him, stood a miniature version of their beloved decoy. natsu tensed up at the sudden attention, taking after her brother when she instinctively inched behind kageyama for some sort of protection.

”you have a sister!” sugawara coo’d in awe, looking at the little girl joyfully. 

”this is natsu,” hinata introduced, holding out his hand as a way to invite her out from behind kageyama. “say hi, natsu.”

natsu instantly took hinata’s hand, squeezing it before speaking up, ”hello.”

”she looks just like you,” nishinoya scoffed, “it’s like, our decoy’s _decoy_.”

”yeah, there’s no doubting that you’re siblings.” sugawara laughed softly, “why don’t we close up these doors and _then_ try to get more comfortable. we shouldn’t be letting our guard down while the door’s wide open.”

the volleyball players got to work on locking any and all doors before blocking them with equipment that was laying the gym. their ultimate goal was to keep themselves as protected as possible while they gathered enough information to make a concrete plan. they all say in the middle of the gym, huddled together and using the spare, clean towels that sat in the storage room for warmth. natsu had gotten comfortable beside hinata, cozied up under a towel with her head on his lap.

hinata had shown them all the medical crap he had taken from his house and told them to use whatever they needed. sugawara was the only one who actually knew a few things when it came to first aid, so they exchanged their stories as sugawara did his best to patch everyone up.

it had turned out that sugawara had been with daichi went everything started going to hell. but a hoard of infected separating them left sugawara with no choice but to run for his life. he ended up being cornered in an alleyway, but had scrambled up and over a fence before they could get their grimy hands on him. in the process though, he sliced the palm of his hand with a ragged part of the fence. 

clueless and scared, sugawara ran to the only place he thought he could get help; the police station. the lady at the front desk simply told him that police were already trying their best, but that he was more than welcome to wait until further notice for some sort of assistance in searching for his missing friend. 

“they weren’t going to look for daichi,” sugawara said dryly as he cleaned saeko’s wound. “i knew that. so i just left. i had nowhere else to go but home. except, on the way there, i saw kageyama being attacked in the middle of the street. and not only him but others too. ripping into each other and eating flesh like it was an everyday norm. a-and even though i was terrified and my hand hurt like hell, i couldn’t just _leave_ kageyama. not as his upperclassmen, not as his teammate, and certainly _not_ as his friend.”

“i had just been jogging when that _thing_ caught me off guard.” kageyama muttered, looking down at his lap as he recalled the memory. ”if it wasn’t for sugawara, i could’ve died.” 

“thank god for sugawara then, huh?” tanaka sighed, running his hand over his buzz cut.

”i owe my life to sugawara,” kageyama looked up from his lap to look to suga, his eyes as intense as always, maybe more. “that’s something i can never pay back.”

”really, kageyama, i don’t need you to pay me back.” sugawara assured, “that was solely my decision, i did it because i wanted to.”

the conversation was cut off by saeko groaning in pain as she threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut. tanaka‘s attention shifted to his sister in an instant, placing a comforting hand on her back as he looked at her in panic. “saeko, what’s wrong?”

she was breathing heavily, and her fever was through the roof. “ _my_ —“ she paused as she coughed harshly. “i’m fine, my thigh just hurts like a bitch.”

”what happened?” hinata asked softly, hoping not to anger tanaka or his sister.

tanaka visibly tensed at the question, and hinata was about to ramble about how he was sorry and that it wasn’t any of his business until saeko spoke up.

”it was one my friends,” she said, her breathing heavy. “she had been acting weird as shit the entire week that we had been visiting our families. i let her stay over at our place because she felt too sick to travel. i woke up to her standing over me the next day. she’s not looking at me, she’s just standing there.”

”what was she doing?”

”i wish i knew. but the worst of it all, was the fact that she had blood all over her. and i look around to look for anyone who that blood could’ve belonged to, and it’s my _dad_. he was just laying there.” saeko looked pained as she told the story. “i was too fucking horrified to talk, but ryu comes in—loud as always—and she goes straight for him. i don’t think i’ve ever moved faster in my goddamn life—“ she stopped, wiping the tear that slipped down her cheek as her voice trembles. “but if our parents aren’t in the picture, and he’s in danger, it’s my _job_ to protect him.”

”what happened to your friend?”

”i fought her the only way i knew how; with my bare fucking hands.” she laughed dryly. “it wasn’t to be badass, it was just the only thing i could do. i had grabbed her by her hair and pulled her off of ryu. i’m trying my hardest to wrestle this bitch, and she’s _growling_ at me. after i think i can get away, she managed to get a hold of my foot. i ended up tripping and she ended up scratching the ever loving shit out of my thigh.”

”but that’s all it is,” tanaka speaks up, defensively. “a scratch.”

”i don’t think a simple scratch would do this much harm.” saeko looks at her brother, giving him a sad smile.

”shut up, saeko.” tanaka spat, “you’re gonna be fine, you just need to rest.”

”what we need to do, is figure out what the fuck were gonna do.” nishinoya spoke up. “we can’t stay cooped up here forever, we don’t even have enough food or water to last us two weeks.”

”can’t we talk about this in two weeks then?”

”noya’s right,” sugawara frowns, “we need to discuss our options.”

”what do we know about those shit-faces out there?” nishinoya asked, looking between his teammates. “have you noticed any patterns? any sort of weakness?”

”they’re blind,” hinata spoke up.

”ok,ok, they’re blind, what else?”

”they’re stupid,” hinata added once more.

”blind, stupid, give me another one.”

”they’re fast,”

”that’s a strength.” nishinoya rolled his eyes at kageyama. 

“what’s the point of listing their weaknesses if we can’t acknowledge their strengths?” kageyama narrowed his eyes. “that’s practically _asking_ to die.”

”fine, what are their strengths, then?”

”they can run, they’re strong, they can climb—“

”they can _climb_?”

“how do you suppose we counter that, kageyama.” nishinoya asked, the irritation evident in his tone. “we have nothing but a shitty bat, cans of beans, and saeko’s taser.” 

“we have to take risks, don’t we?”

”based off _what_!”

”movies, manga, documentaries, anything!” kageyama huffs, “we know _nothing_ about these things, it’s bold to assume they have weaknesses in the first place.”

“you guys, don’t yell.” sugawara reprimanded. “we don’t need to bring ourselves any unwanted attention.”

nishinoya crossed his arms, “does anyone have anything they’d like to share that they think might help?”

”well, on tv, a blow to the head usually kills them.” hinata recalled from a few movies. “dismemberment slows them down.”

“alright, so they’re blind and attracted to noise, right? what if we’re just quiet?”

”what if we’re loud instead?” kageyama suggested.

” _bro_ _what?_ ”

”if we make noise in one place—let’s say we throw a can to our right—they’ll go towards the noise and we clear a path for ourselves.”

”we _could_ do that, but we can’t underestimate their sense of smell.” sugawara scratched his cheek.

”i saw a show where they covered themselves in guts to mask their smell.” nishinoya lit up, “and it worked pretty well...until it started raining.”

”that’s disgusting,” hinata scrunched his nose.

”it’s an option.”

”yeah no, i’m not doing that,”

”whatever, mr. _i’m-too-cool-to-cover myself-in-guts_.” nishinoya scoffed.

”noya, i don’t think any person alive wants to cover themselves in guts.” sugawara laughed.

”your loss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the boring chapter, next one will have a lot more action. also super out of it today, so excuse any grammatical errors, i’ll be fixing it tomorrow.


	6. try to pass the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, the last couple days have been awful. i’ve been so sad and unmotivated, and i’m sorry for not posting. i was too,,,,,blegh to write. i really wanted to write something though, so here you go. sorry if it’s a bit short, i’ll be trying to post tomorrow too.

“can we get rid of that thing? i’m gonna fucking puke.”

hinata’s eyes lazily opened, blinking sluggishly as he slowly woke up from a much needed nap. natsu slept peacefully beside him, twitching slightly in her sleep, and he wondered if it was normal for her to be sleeping so often. but he guessed it was better than having her sit around and worry that something was going to break in and kill them.

sitting up with a groan at the ache in his back, hinata rubbed his face as he tried to make some sense out of the commotion around him. when his eyes finally focused, they landed on sugawara, who had a disgusted look on his face and his fists clenched at his sides as he avoided looking at the floor. hinata’s eyes looked to tanaka, who stood over by the windows, staring outside as he fidgeted nervously. seako was laying on the floor at the other side of the gym, throwing a a volleyball up and catching it repeatedly.

hinata’s eyes trailed back to sugawara and flickered to the floor, moving a little more to the right, and the sight making hinata freeze as the little food he had in his stomach threatened to come up. 

that’s when the stench hit him; the smell of decaying flesh and blood that proved to be hinata’s trigger. 

shooting up from his spot on the floor, hinata grabbed the attention of the others as he ran to a corner of the gym, doubling over and heaving out the contents of his stomach without fail. hinata felt a hand on his shoulder and he flinched away from it.

”relax, hinata, we took care of it.” sugawara tried to assure him, dropping his hand instead of attempting to physically comfort hinata again. 

hinata shook his head, knowing fully well what the body in the middle of the gym meant. “where are kageyama and nishinoya?”

it sounded more like a demand then a mere question, hinata’s voice steady as his eyes bore into the vomit on the floor.

“they’re out there,” sugawara said quietly, the fear in his voice making hinata want to throw up again. “they’re testing out whether or not those things can tell the difference between us and one of their own.”

hinata’s anger grew steadily at the thought of them discussing this without including him. this wasn’t about choosing who would be the seeker, or who would pay for meat buns, kageyama and nishinoya’s _lives_ were on the line. couldn’t hinata help decide whether or not the risk was worth it?

”and i couldn’t help make that decision?” hinata muttered, still doubled over as he fought to regain his composure.

”there was no changing their minds, hinata.” sugawara sighed, rubbing his temples. “we let you sleep because i thought you and natsu needed it.”

”we're a team,” hinata finally straightened up, wiping his mouth. “i don’t want to be left out of de—.”

”you’re sick,”

”what?” hinata turned to tanaka with furrowed eyebrows. 

“ _ryu_ ,”

“we let you sleep because you’re sick.” 

“no, i’m not.” hinata replied defensively.

”you and saeko both have a fevers.” tanaka stated, “we don’t know if you were like this before we met up with you but we think—“

”stop,” hinata cut him off. “i don’t want you to finish that sentence.”

hinata walked over to his bag to grab a bottle of water. they were running low, and soon they’d have to leave in search of more resources. he twisted the cap open and drank, and he didn’t stop until the bottle was empty. sure, it wasn’t a good way to preserve the little they had left but he had just thrown up, and the implications behind what tanaka was saying was making him nervous.

the five of them waited quietly for nishinoya and tanaka to return. tanaka took taking care of saeko as a chance to distract himself. hinata took this time to quietly talk with his sister. if he was honest though, he didn’t want to talk, he just wanted kageyama and nishinoya to come back. but he knew his sister needed to socialize, and she still wasn’t comfortable enough to engage in conversation with his teammates.

natsu had asked about kageyama though. and hinata had to find a way to explain to him that he had gone out there for the sake of the group. natsu didn’t look too happy. she merely frowned and looked down at the protein bar in her hand, taking a small bite out of it. almost as if a part of her knew there was a chance she wouldn’t be seeing kageyama again.

sugawara did nothing but pace around anxiously. he had already eaten, he had already changed seako’s bandage, he had helped tanaka take out the corpse they had used outside. he wasn’t tired enough to sleep, he wasn’t in the mood to talk, he could only think about all the things that could’ve gone wrong for them out there. and the fact that they had no way of communicating made him want to cry in frustration.

they had done their best to pass the time—four hours to be exact. the sun was already beginning to set, which only put the five of them more on edge. hinata had forced himself to get up and exercise with natsu, which even included running around the gym several times. it had even helped him temporarily forgotten the scenario they were in, but was quickly reminded when he had stopped to wait for natsu to catch her breath. 

he knew she’d had to fight to keep up, to survive in a world like this. but she was only seven, she wasn’t meant to fight for her life, she was supposed to be arguing for a chance on the monkey bars, or yelling at hinata when he’s being too loud. and he knew even more that her life was in his hands. if she couldn’t fight for herself, he would do it for her. 

hinata’s thoughts were interrupted by the doors to the gym being slammed open. all heads turned to watch as kageyama and nishinoya threw themselves inside and quickly closed the door behind them. hinata rushed over to kageyama, whose poor face looked petrified. he was covered head to toe in the remains of a dead infected, and the smell that surrounded him was awful, but it was the least of hinata’s worries as he tackled the taller boy.

the hug was brief though, because hinata had almost immediately pulled away to scold him. “you just decided to leave without telling me, dumbass?”

”you would’ve tried to convince me to stay,” kageyama argued.

”well duh! only an idiot would go out there!”

”i guess i’m an idiot, then.”

”noya, kageyama, i’m so happy you’re okay.” sugawara sighed in relief, placing his hands on nishinoya and kageyama’s shoulders. “thank god.”

”did it work?” tanaka asked, his tone hopeful.

”it did,” noya nodded, “sort of? we have good news and bad news.” 

“come on, let’s get you out of those clothes so you can eat something. you’ve been gone for almost six hours.”

”we don’t have time.” kageyama said abruptly. “they’re coming.”


End file.
